Website graphics
are solely for use on the Internet. Their pixel rate and file size are seriously
too small for any print medium. At MMM whenever a client purchases a graphics
package we urge them to include both... "print" ready as well as "web" ready.
Depending on the project the dpi (dots per inch) and ppi (pixels per inch) will
vary greatly from any print project to web project. Also, keep in mind
that professional typeset printing is 4 color printing (CMYK) verses computer
printing which is 3 color printing (RGB)

Typically graphic
resolutions are as follows:

>
Magazine Glossy = 800 to 1200 dpi

>
Print Ready - Pro = 300 to 600 dpi

>
Print Ready - Home = 150 dpi

>
Web Ready = 72 ppi

There are two
types of computer graphics: raster graphics, where each pixel is separately
defined (as in a digital photograph), and vector graphics, where mathematical
formulas are used to draw lines and shapes, which are then interpreted at the
viewer's end to produce the graphic. Using vectors results in infinitely sharp
graphics and often smaller files, but, when complex, vectors take time to render
and may have larger file sizes than a raster equivalent.

In 1950, the
first computer-driven display was attached to MIT's Whirlwind I computer to
generate simple pictures. This was followed by MIT's TX-0 and TX-2, interactive
computing which increased interest in computer graphics during the late 1950s.
In 1962, Ivan Sutherland invented Sketchpad, an innovative program that
influenced alternative forms of interaction with computers.

In the mid-1960s,
large computer graphics research projects were begun at MIT, General Motors,
Bell Labs, and Lockheed Corporation. Douglas T. Ross of MIT developed an
advanced compiler language for graphics programming. S.A.Coons, also at MIT, and
J. C. Ferguson at Boeing, began work in sculptured surfaces. GM developed their
DAC-1 system, and other companies, such as Douglas, Lockheed, and McDonnell,
also made significant developments. In 1968, ray tracing was invented by Apple.

During the late
1970s, personal computers became more powerful, capable of drawing both basic
and complex shapes and designs. In the 1980s, artists and graphic designers
began to see the personal computer, particularly the Commodore Amiga and
Macintosh, as a serious design tool, one that could save time and draw more
accurately than other methods. 3D computer graphics became possible in the late
1980s with the powerful SGI computers, which were later used to create some of
the first fully computer-generated short films at Pixar. The Macintosh remains
one of the most popular tools for computer graphics in graphic design studios
and businesses.

Modern computer
systems, dating from the 1980s and onwards, often use a graphical user interface
(GUI) to present data and information with symbols, icons and pictures, rather
than text. Graphics are one of the five key elements of multimedia technology.

3D graphics
became more popular in the 1990s in gaming, multimedia and animation. In 1996,
Quake, one of the first fully 3D games, was released. In 1995, Toy Story, the
first full-length computer-generated animation film, was released in cinemas
worldwide. Since then, computer graphics have become more accurate and detailed,
due to more advanced computers and better 3D modelling software applications,
such as Maya (software),3D Studio Max,Cinema 4D.

Another use of
computer graphics is screensavers, originally intended to preventing the layout
of much-used GUIs from 'burning into' the computer screen. They have since
evolved into true pieces of art, their practical purpose obsolete; modern
screens are not susceptible to such burn in artifacts.

In the 1990s,
Internet speeds increased, and Internet browsers capable of viewing images were
released, the first being Mosaic. Websites began to use the GIF format to
display small graphics, such as banners, advertisements and navigation buttons,
on web pages. Modern web browsers can now display JPEG, PNG and increasingly,
SVG images in addition to GIFs on web pages. SVG, and to some extent VML,
support in some modern web browsers have made it possible to display vector
graphics that are clear at any size. Plugins expand the web browser functions to
display animated, interactive and 3-D graphics contained within file formats
such as SWF and X3D.